The Advocate's Justice

by Teresa Burrell

  JP just listened, wondering if this was the real story. When his cell rang, he glanced at it but didn’t recognize the number, so he declined the call.

  Gene continued with his recall of the events. “I grabbed Bullet and threw him against the counter. I was still mad about what he did to Morgan, and now the coward was beating on Muriel. I snapped. I think I broke his nose. Blood was spurting everywhere. I told him to get out and if he ever came back I’d kill him.”

  “And did you?”

  “Did I what?”

  “Kill him?”

  “No.” Gene scowled. “Aren’t you listening? I did not kill Bullet.”

  JP’s phone rang again. This time it was Sabre. “Hey, kid.” He listened for a few seconds, then said, “I’ll meet you there.”

  JP hung up and turned to Gene. “I’ve got to go. Your child got in a fight.”

  Gene jumped up. “Is Conner okay?”

  “It wasn’t Conner. It was Morgan.”

  “Morgan doesn’t fight. What happened?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m about to find out.” JP walked toward the door, then turned back. “Are you going to stick around and help your kids, or are you leaving?”

  “You’re an ass, Jacky.”

  Chapter 19

  Sabre was already at the school and waiting in front of the counselor’s office when JP arrived.

  “I don’t know anything yet,” she said. “A school counselor will see us in a few minutes. They wanted you here since you’re the legal custodian.”

  JP sat down next to her and tapped on the arm of the bench.

  “Are you okay?” Sabre asked. “I’ve never seen you look so uncomfortable.”

  “I feel like a kid getting called into the principal’s office. I’ve been here too many times. It never came out good. Besides, I’m afraid I might say the wrong thing.”

  “You’ll do fine,” Sabre said.

  “Can you do the talkin’? You know how to handle these things better than I do.”

  Sabre smiled and nodded. “We’ll find out what went down.”

  A clean-shaven, African-American man in his mid-thirties came out of the counselor’s office. He stood about five-nine, with an athletic build. He approached JP and said, “Are you John Torn?”

  JP stood. “Yes, sir, I am. And this is Sabre Brown.”

  The man turned to Sabre, who had gotten up too. “What is your relationship to Morgan?”

  “I’m JP’s, I mean John’s, significant other and Morgan’s brother’s attorney.”

  He extended his hand, first to Sabre and then to JP. “I’m Terrance Godwin, the school counselor. Please follow me.”

  Godwin led them into a small office. The wall behind his desk had several framed certificates, including master’s degrees in education and psychology. The wall opposite his desk was filled with photos of his family, his wife, and two young boys—all in his full view.

  “Here’s the thing,” he said. “Morgan was in a fight with another student, a boy, and we have a zero-tolerance policy at this school. Morgan has been here awhile, and she has never had any problems of any kind. When I checked her records, I saw that a dependency case has recently been filed. I’m hoping you can give me a little background on that.”

  JP looked at Sabre and she spoke for them. “Morgan was removed from her home last week, and her brother was arrested and put in juvenile hall.”

  “Did her brother do something to her?”

  “Quite the contrary. He was her rock, her safe place to go. Morgan is dealing with a lot of loss right now. She was removed from her mother and grandmother, who are less than appropriate caretakers. Her father isn’t around, her brother is in the Hall, and she’s living with her uncle, who she met just a few days ago. She has very little to hold onto. We probably should’ve kept her out of school, but we thought it would be good for her to see some of her friends.”

  “I feel for her. She’s a good kid. I understand that the boy was teasing her about her brother. He called him a murderer. Is that what he was charged with?”

  “Yes, but he didn’t do it.”

  “Spoken like a true defense attorney.” Godwin looked down at the file on his desk. “The thing is, my hands are kind of tied. Even though this boy has had his share of trouble, and frankly, is a bit of a bully, Morgan threw the first blow. And she got the best of him.” His mouth turned up slightly at the corners as he said it, then his face went solemn again. “With the zero-tolerance policy, I’m supposed to suspend them both. And I certainly can’t punish the boy if I don’t punish her.”

  “I’m not suggesting they not be punished, but something short of suspension,” Sabre offered. “There are federal guidelines that came down a few years ago that encourage alternatives to suspension.”

  “I see you’ve done your homework.”

  “I deal with children in crises every day. For most of them, suspension from school is the least of their problems, but it certainly adds to their already heavy load. I expect that’s probably true of the boy Morgan fought with as well. But I’m guessing that if he really is a bully and got beat up by a girl, the humiliation of facing classmates would be far worse than getting to go home.”

  “You have a point, Ms. Brown,” the counselor said. “Wait here; let me see what I can do.” He took the file and left the office.

  JP took Sabre’s hand. “You’re amazing. I’m sure glad you were here with me. I was about to ask the school to give her a medal for beating up a bully. I have to tell you, I’m kinda proud of her.”

  Sabre shook her head. “Let’s not go there.”

  “I know you don’t agree with me, but if putting a bully in his place ain’t right, then grits ain’t groceries.”

  “Grits ain’t groceries,” Sabre said with a smirk. “But never mind that. What happens if they send her home today? What does your schedule look like?”

  “I’d like to go back and see Gene, but I can’t take Morgan with me.”

  “Bob is covering my court cases this morning, and I don’t have anything on calendar for this afternoon. She can go to my office with me, if you’re okay with that. I can keep her busy. I plan to go see Conner, but Elaine will be there, and I know she’d be glad to help.”

  “I’m sure Morgan would enjoy that. I know I like hanging with you at your office, so I’m sure she will too.” He winked at her.

  The counselor returned and interrupted their chat. “Here’s what we can do. We’re sending both kids home today, but they can come back tomorrow. They’ll be given detention, and the amount will be based on the number of fights they’ve been involved in previously. Since this is Morgan’s first offense, hers will be minimal. We’ll try to keep some distance between them. Neither is to approach the other. They’re in the same class, but the teacher has agreed to keep them apart. Please have a talk with Morgan so she understands this cannot happen again. I went to bat for her on this one, but if it happens again, I won’t have a choice.”

  Sabre and JP both stood and shook his hand. JP said, “Thank you, sir.”

  “Come on. I’ll take you to Morgan. I’m sure she’s anxious to get out of here.”

  Morgan was sitting in the principal’s office when they walked in. She was hunched over, and her face was pale. Her damp eyes widened when she saw them. She didn’t move, as if she wasn’t sure what to do. Sabre approached her and put her arm around the girl. Morgan avoided eye contact and started to cry.

  “It’s okay, Morgan.” Sabre hugged her tighter. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

  They walked out of the school office with Sabre’s arm still around Morgan. Once outside, the girl looked up at JP. “Are you mad at me, Uncle Johnny?”

  JP reached down and took her hand in his. “No, Munchkin, I’m not mad at you. We’ll talk about it later.”

  Chapter 20

  Sabre waited in the interview room while the probation officer retrieved Conner. He walked in with drooping shoulders and sat down in a slump, looking
almost broken. The boy had an air of innocence about him that she hoped would help at the 707 hearing, which was coming up in a few days. But she would have to fight like crazy to get him tried as a minor and not an adult.

  “I know it’s not easy being in here, Conner, but you look more dejected than usual today,” Sabre said. “Did something happen?”

  “It’s just…this place is awful, and I want to go home,” he blurted.

  “I know. I’m working on it. I wish I had more good news for you. We have your fitness hearing scheduled for next week. At that time, the court will determine if your case should be heard in juvenile court or adult court.”

  “But I’m only fifteen.”

  “They’ll look at things other than your age, such as your criminal record, which you have none. The judge will also consider your criminal sophistication, the seriousness of the crime, and whether you can be rehabilitated as a minor. I’ll fight to keep you in juvenile court, because if you were to be convicted, your sentence would be a lot harsher in adult court.” Sabre paused. This was a lot for him to take in. “On the other hand, juvenile courts only have judge trials. But if you’re sent to adult court, we could have a jury trial. Then the prosecution would have to convince twelve regular people, instead of just one judge, that you're guilty.”

  Conner gave her a blank stare.

  “I know this is all overwhelming, so we’ll take it one step at a time. But you need to know what’s ahead.”

  “But I didn’t kill Bullet.”

  “I know. And your uncle is working very hard to prove it. You can help by giving me more information.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “For starters, you need to explain why your fingerprints are on the murder weapon.”

  “Because I touched it.”

  “When?”

  “A couple of days before I was arrested.”

  “Tell me exactly what happened.”

  Conner shifted in his seat. “I came home from school and planned to go skateboarding. I grabbed my board off the floor of the closet, and a pair of my shorts fell onto the floor. Apparently, they had been covering the gun because after they fell, I saw the handle. I picked it up and looked at it.”

  Sabre noticed he called the grip a handle. He apparently didn’t know much about guns. “Are you left or right handed?” she asked.

  “Right.”

  “Make a fist out of your left hand and extend your index finger.”

  Conner followed the directions.

  “Now, imagine your left hand is the gun. Now, using your right hand, show me how you held it.”

  Conner wrapped his right hand around his left fist. “I put my hand around the handle and held it like I was going to shoot something. I pointed it toward the window, at a bird in the tree.”

  “Did you ever touch the trigger?”

  “No. I didn’t know if it was loaded, and I didn’t know how to check. I had never seen a real gun up close like that before. Lots of my mom’s friends have guns, but I’ve never looked at one of them up close.”

  “What did you do with it after you pointed it?”

  “I looked at the gun real close. It was a little scary, just holding it. It felt heavy in my hand. And powerful.” Conner looked both excited and ashamed. “I was afraid Morgan might find it and get hurt, so I stuck it back in the corner of my closet in a shoebox and threw some things over it.”

  “Did you know where the gun had come from?”

  “No.”

  “Did you ever see it before?”

  “No.”

  “At the time you found the gun, how did you think it got into your closet?”

  “I didn’t know, but I figured it was my dad’s.”

  “Did you ask him?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  The boy shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I just didn’t.”

  “Did you say anything to anyone about the gun?”

  “I told my grandma, and she just said to leave it alone and not touch it. She said she’d take care of it as soon as she could.”

  ~~~

  Sabre returned to her office and found Morgan making copies of documents for Elaine.

  “This is fun,” Morgan said. “And look, the machine separates the pages and puts them in stacks, and then even staples them. Isn’t that cool?”

  “Yeah, that’s pretty cool.”

  Sabre had a long talk with Morgan about alternatives to physical confrontations. “You’re probably going to get more harassment from students who don’t understand what’s going on. Conner would not want you getting into trouble over him.”

  “I know. I won’t let them get to me again.” The girl looked up at Sabre with sad eyes. “You won’t tell Conner about this, will you? I don’t want him to worry about me.”

  “Your secret’s safe.”

  Chapter 21

  After leaving the school, JP headed back to his house. There was some information he wanted to gather before he questioned his brother again. JP set up his whiteboard and made a list of suspects. He intentionally left Gene’s name off, not because he thought his brother was innocent, but because he didn’t want Morgan to see it. Everyone who attended the party was listed. The killer had to be someone who had been at the house and had put the gun into Conner’s closet. JP made a spot on the board for questions and started to jot them down.

  —Ask Gene how the gun got there and how long it has been there.

  —Who else knew the gun was there?

  —Who else had been in the house after the party and prior to the cops confiscating the gun?

  —What enemies of Bullet had access to the house?

  The list went on.

  JP picked up the phone and called Muriel. She agreed to see him, so he drove over on his way back to Gene’s. Muriel was cleaning when JP arrived, and Roxy was asleep.

  “Thanks for seeing me on such short notice.”

  “Anything to help my grandson. How is he?” Muriel led him into the living room and offered him something to drink, which he declined. They sat down.

  “About what you’d expect, I guess,” JP said. “It’s difficult for him.”

  “I’m sure it is. He’s seen his share of criminals in his life, but he’s always been able to go to his room and get away.” Muriel pushed a strand of hair away from her face. “What can I do for you?”

  “I have some questions about the gun they found in Conner’s closet.”

  “What about it?”

  “Did you know it had Conner’s fingerprints on it?”

  “No, I figured it would have someone else’s prints and they’d let Conner go.”

  “I’d like to know why you lied.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She clasped her hands together and twisted them back and forth.

  “You said you didn’t know the gun was in Conner’s closet, but he says you did.”

  Muriel sighed. “I would’ve told you about it if I’d known he touched it. He came to me and told me it was there, and I told him to just leave it alone. He said he would, but apparently he didn’t. Or maybe he had already touched it.”

  JP shifted forward in his seat. “Why would you leave the gun in his room?”

  “I had planned to remove it when I could get in there without Morgan seeing me. I didn’t have a key to their room, and Morgan was always there when Conner could let me in. Unfortunately, the cops came before I had a chance to do anything.”

  “What were you intending to do with it?”

  “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. But Gene was gone, and I didn’t want a gun just lying around. I had no idea it was used to kill Bullet.”

  “Do you think it was Gene who killed Bullet?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure what he’s capable of.” Muriel exhaled. “Gene and I have always gotten along. He’s the best thing that ever happened to my daughter, and he’s a good father—except that he can’t keep himself out of
prison. He’s got a temper, but even that has mellowed over the years. I personally think the guy can’t catch a break.”

  “That’s the way it’s been all his life.” JP instantly wished he hadn’t said that out loud. “Did you know it was Gene’s gun?”

  “No, but I figured as much. I knew he had one because Roxanne bragged about it, but I never saw it.”

  “Other than the people who were at the party the night before Bullet left, who else had been in the house prior to Conner’s arrest?”

  Muriel pursed her lips in thought. “Gee, I’m not sure. I remember one of Bullet’s friends came by looking for him.”

  “You mean Soper or Rankin?”

  “No, another guy. He’s been here a few times. His name is Steve something.”

  “Did he come inside?”

  “No. He came to the door shortly after Bullet left, and I told him Bullet wasn’t here, so he left.”

  “Anyone else?”

  “Just Emily, Conner’s girlfriend. She’s been here a couple of times.”

  JP asked Muriel a few more questions, then thanked her and left. He arrived at Ginny Bloome’s apartment about fifteen minutes later, but no one answered when he knocked. He walked around back and checked for a back entrance. There was none, so he returned to the front and knocked again. Still nothing. He sat down at a table with an umbrella near the pool, where he had a good vantage point of the front door.

  After half an hour, JP had finished all the phone calls he needed to make. He walked to the front door and rang the bell again, several times. Then he knocked loudly. He was about to give up when he heard a scuffle coming from inside. The door opened, and Ginny stood there with messy hair, wearing a rather revealing nightie.

  “He’s not here,” she said before JP could ask.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Come in and see for yourself.”

  JP followed her inside and looked around, covering every possible room. Ginny invited him to look in her bedroom and bathroom as well. Gene was gone.

  “Where did he go?”